The concentration of numerous case studies of British appropriation of U.S. education and training (ET) policies in a brief period of time (1986-90) provides a unique opportunity to improve understanding of the ET reform process and the role that international comparisons can play in shaping the domestic ET policy agenda. In this book, political…

The charter-school idea has spread rapidly across the United States. One-half of the states have adopted charter-school laws since 1991, and legislatures in other states have given the idea careful consideration. This paper explores the political factors that shape charter-school laws. The paper utilizes the policy-innovation-diffusion framework…

Hearings were held on the Technology for Education Act of 1993 (S. 1040) to support systemic improvement of education and the development of a technologically literate citizenry and internationally competitive work force by establishing a comprehensive system through which appropriate technology-enhanced curriculum, instruction, and administrative…

This review of literature in the field of educational innovations includes discussions on the following areas: (1) resistance to change; (2) personality and psychological factors; (3) innovation attributes such as communicability and compatibility; (4) type of innovation decision making including those made by individuals, groups, and authority;…

This document presents elements of a symposium developed by the Alverno College, Wisconsin, research and evaluation staff on the extent to which educational research that is internally driven by institutionally defined purposes and questions is valid and useful to the educational research community as a way of addressing its larger questions about…

Adoption diffusion theory was used as the theoretical base to study early adopters' use of an electronic communication network for teachers developed at the College of Education at Iowa State University, i.e., the Electronic Educational Exchange (EEE). The EEE is designed to provide a convenient method for the exchange of ideas between student…

Based on the findings of a content analysis of representative literature on educational technology, this report examines the trends in educational technology from October 1, 1990 through September 30, 1991. Ten trends for 1991 are identified and discussed: (1) the creation of technology-based teaching/learning products is based largely on…

This report documents the observations and findings of a research study which was conducted in Indonesia, Chile, and Peru between January and June 1989 to discover the status of educational technology in primarily formal education settings in each country. The five stated objects of the study were: (1) to determine the extent of educational…

This report describes the 1980-81 development of a multistate, multimedia, multi-agency audioconferencing network for human services in Maine and New Hampshire, under a grant which was designed to: (1) establish a 20-site audioconferencing network in vocational rehabilitation offices; (2) provide training and technical assistance to the agencies…

When considering the use of computers in their lessons, two questions are important for teachers: how to select courseware and how the role and practice of the teacher may change by using computers. To answer the first question, a courseware-selection checklist was developed and its use by teachers was investigated. The checklist serves the…

Initiated by the Center for the Book, the Library of Congress program that promotes books and reading, this text contains the results of interviews of 1,382 Americans who were asked, "What book made the greatest difference in your life?" and "What was that difference?" The introduction contains the titles and authors of the books named by…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of using an electronic bulletin board in an off-campus doctoral program (Ed.D.) for health professionals offered by the University of Georgia. Participants included 14 doctoral students (13 female and 1 male) enrolled in an advanced course, Research in Instruction, who received training in…

Policy analysis is the process by which systematically collected information is provided to decision makers. As an integral part of a specific policy setting process and a comprehensive planned change process, such analyses can provide school administrators with much needed information to guide their decisions concerning district-wide…

This study examined the mobilization and implementation stages of introducing microcomputers into elementary and middle schools in a majority adopter (i.e., schools which began implementing microcomputers for instruction in 1983-84) school district. Data collection included structured interviews with school district staff and principals;…

This paper suggests the importance of considering factors outside of the classroom in accounting for the presence of inquiry, and identifies some of these factors. The conclusions are based upon a study of staff developers and teachers who took part in the Bank Street College Mathematics, Science and Technology Teacher Education project.…